Matrimonium
by Rose Colored Philosophies
Summary: After saving the universe, things went back to normal on Aquor, well, as normal as they were going to get. Albel finds himself thrown into a political marriage with a woman he can hardly stand and all in the name of peace between the two kingdoms. Now the Wicked One must learn to get along with his stubborn, infuriating wife, if only to prove he's better than that Aquarian Spy.
1. Unexpected Homecoming

**Disclaimer: I do not own Star Ocean or any of its characters. I'm merely using them to entertain myself and others.**

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_**Matrimoniom**_

Chapter 1

_Unexpected Homecoming_

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Albel the Wicked could probably count the amount of times he had awakened here with one hand. It took him a minute to figure out where he was but the sounds from outside, the smells in the air, and the mess of various papers on the writing desk in the room told him all he needed to know. He was at 'home'. Only his dear 'wife' would leave out fake documents and impersonal letters on her work desk like that to confuse or deceive any potential spies that might have been snooping around her- their- room.

The only thing that really puzzled him was _why_ he was there, in the large homely bedroom of his estate, instead of back at the castle in his room there. In fact, wasn't he at Airyglyph Castle previously?

Actually, the better question was when had he fallen asleep? He had no memory of even lying down to rest. The last thing he remembered was standing at attention during the end of a long and stressful meeting with the King, Count Woltar, and several of his Lieutenants from both the Black Brigade and the Dragon Brigade.

He tried to sit up, but his body protested greatly to the movement. Even his lungs burned at the movement and his breath became strained. He just bared his teeth and forced his body to comply. He had no time to rest. He had documents to look over, men to train, monsters to slay, dragons to exercise, and meetings to attend. He couldn't give in to his body's fatigue.

Maybe he shouldn't have gotten into that fight with Crosell. He mused, albeit too late. The big dragon like to show him who was boss and always tried to give him a thrashing. Of course, Albel won the fight, _again_, but lately he noticed that runology healers weren't nearly as effective as they once were.

He'd have to get on those maggots' tails about that when he got back to the castle.

He was just managing to stand up with the door began to open. Of course, he ignored whoever was at the door, knowing it was most likely his 'wife' since it was '_their_' room, but the moment he put his weight on his legs, his knees buckled and a pain burst from his side. He gave a grunt as he began to collapse, but was prevented from hitting the floor in a humiliating manner by his 'wife' who easily held him up despite her small frame and weaker disposition as a woman.

"What do you think you're doing?" She hissed at him, instantly maneuvering him to lying back down in the bed.

Albel blinked in a state of somewhat confusion as he noticed his lack of clothing. He was suddenly aware that his hair had been unwrapped and placed in a simple ponytail at the nape of his neck. Not only that, but he was covered in clean bandages as well. His left arm, covered only in its usual silk wrappings he kept under his mechanical gauntlet, was hanging limply at his side without the contraption there to help him move it. Was he that out of it that he hadn't noticed the unusual sensations on his skin?

His head was swimming again as he tried to think.

"Albel," his 'wife's' voice brought him back to reality, if only for the moment.

He didn't know when he lost that hold of reality, but the feel of her cool palm on his burning forehead made him flinch. He pulled away from her hand, not wanting her to touch him so casually.

"_Nox_."

She was trying to get his focus on her, but it was so hard at the moment to even focus his eyes on her face. He grunted as he shook his head a little, trying to focus better before finally being able to bring himself out of his stupor.

"What do you want, woman?" Albel grunted as he got hold of his second wind. The world wasn't spinning anymore at least and his headache was slowly dissolving enough to focus.

"Good, you're not going to pass out again," she sighed as she began to bully his protesting body back under the covers of their bed, "You've done that at least three times by now."

Three times? Albel had to hide his surprise from the woman. He couldn't remember anything past that meeting. How long had he been out of it?

Use to him not talking much to her, his 'wife' continued to talk. "You gave everyone quiet a scare, you know? Apparently, you were walking out of a strategy meeting with King Arzei and Count Woltar when you collapsed out of no where. They rushed you to the medical ward, summoned every Runologist healer they had on staff at that time, to make sure you were okay."

"-But if I was Airyglyph Castle, getting _medical attention_ there, how did I end up here in this hellhole?" Albel cut her off, his good hand holding his head a he tried to figure out what was going on.

He hadn't been here since their marriage had been finalized and the estate had been presented to them as a 'wedding gift'. He didn't have time to play house with some Aquarian wench. He had responsibilities to fulfill back at the castle. He growled when his little wife rolled her eyes at him and crossed her arms arrogantly.

"I was_ getting to that_."

"Then hurry up!" He winced as his snarl made his head ache more. Loud sounds were apparently not alright at the moment. Lucky for him, his 'wife' preferred to keep her voice low out of habit or his head would be pounding worse.

"First off, the doctors realized you were running a high fever and that your wounds their staff had just treated earlier that morning had reopened and were bleeding anew. When they tired to use their healing arts to close them again, nothing happened. In fact, they realized that none of your breaks had healed at all and were amazed at how you had even walked away the first time."

Albel frowned, looking at her skeptically when she told him that. But couldn't completely doubt her since he had walked away that day feeling as badly injured as when he had entered the medical ward. Still, he bothered to negate her explanation. "Impossible. Runology might be some stupid Aquarian maggot practice, but it's never _not_ worked."

"Well, in your case, it didn't." Her hands were on her hips now as she told him that. "By that time, you woke up and started thrashing about when they wouldn't let you up. It took the whole entire staff to pin you down long enough to administer anesthetics powerful enough to knock you out."

He tired not to look concerned in front of her, but he did not remember _any_ of this (though part of him was smug at how many people it took to hold him down even when injured). His head was pounding again and he wanted nothing more than for his 'wife' to get on with her explanation so he could move on with other things.

Sensing his weariness growing, she hurried up her explanation. "To make a long story short, your diagnosis was that you're at your breaking point. Actually, you've been beyond your breaking point for a long time and it has amazed them how long you've lasted. You're body is completely fatigued and depleted of its needed nutrients. Runology speeds up healing, yes, but it depletes the body of the required vitamins and minerals in order to do that. On top of that, they said your stress levels were off the charts. With all those factors in play, your immunity was unfavorably low and you caught pneumonia, which is why your body finally collapsed despite your pushing."

"Wonderful," Albel snapped sarcastically at her. That certainly explained his inability to catch his breath that day. "But that doesn't explain why I'm _here_ instead of in my room at the castle."

"Well, the doctors decided you needed to be taken care of, _away from your duties at the castle_, so that you could properly recover from your episode. They took care of your injuries, cleaned the infection from your lungs the best they could, and prescribed you medicine you are to take twice a day for the next two months. They wanted you on bed rest till further notice and would be sending their head doctor once every two weeks to see how you are progressing. King Arzei and Count Woltar decided it would be the perfect opportunity for you to spend some time with the wife." Her voice took a more aggravated tone as she finished off the last few sentences, "So King Arzei has decided you _have_ been working too hard for someone who just got married and has basically banished you here for the next year or so. They're hoping to hear news of not only your full recovery but also that a heir is on its way."

The look that Albel gave his wife was one of disbelief and horror. "Well _screw_ that!" His voice broke on his last word as his throat began to constrict.

He was _not_ staying here. He was _not_ just going to loaf around when he had _work_ to be doing! On top of that, he wasn't very interested in making _heirs_ with his 'wife'. He didn't even want her in the first place! He had been against the union the whole time! He didn't need a woman at his side especially not an _Aquarian_ woman! But alas, he knew his country would benefit from not only the King taking on a noblewoman from Aquaria, but also if his noblemen took on Aquarian noblewomen as wives as well. And since Albel was a 'hero' of the people and the universe, it would ease the worries of Airyglyph's citizens if he proposed and married a known 'hero' from Aquaria.

Thus he 'proposed' to Nel Zelpher.

In all actuality, he had been coerced into the whole thing by both King Arzei and Count Woltar. Both men left him no choice in the matter. His inheritance, title, position, and reputation were all put on the line due to this matter and he could not help the people of Airyglyph during this uneasy time of peace if he was thrown into a dungeon to rot or banished from his homeland completely. It was technically an arranged marriage, but because the King wanted to set his people at ease, it would look like Albel had willing chosen his own bride. However, he didn't know which Aquarian he had agreed to marry until the blasted woman showed up to Kirlsa so he could 'propose'. Apparently, she had been given this 'mission' by her queen in order to stabilize the peace between the lands.

So here they were six months later, married and hadn't seen each other since two weeks after the vows of matrimony were made. That was when he saw this estate -built on both Airyglyph and Aquarian soil not far off from Kirlsa and Arias- for the first and last time. It had also been the last time he'd seen his wife, not bothering to visit or write since she was only his wife in title and _nothing_ more. He would not allocate himself such a weakness.

"I'm not to thrilled on the idea of you here _either_. I don't have time to babysit you and work as well. Both are full time jobs," she said while putting her hands on her hips (when had she moved them elsewhere? Albel couldn't help but wonder), "But they're orders from the king, _your king_. You can't just ignore them because you personally don't like them."

"First off, I am not a _child_ and I don't need someone to watch me like I am one. Secondly, I'll do whatever the hell I want to, woman! I'm not some dog on a leash that _worm_ of a King can pull about! I am not staying here and I'm _definitely_ not making any heir with _you_!" He tried to get up again, but he immediately fell back onto the bed, hacking as his weakened lungs finally couldn't keep up with his outbursts.

His wife caught him before he could hit the mattress hard. He flinched at her touch, shaking her off as quickly as he could while turning to his side and curling inward as he continued to hack. His good hand instinctually fisting into a ball as he covered his mouth with it, gasping for every ounce of air his coughing would allow. He could feel his throat constricting the more he struggled to catch his breath.

His wife did not stand idle after he had shaken her hands off and was once again attacking him with unnecessary touches. She applied something cold to his back, making him instinctually uncurl his spine till it was ramrod straight. Quickly taking advantage of involuntary movement, she pulled him onto his back and applied a pungent soothing agent onto his bare chest, right above the wraps that were keeping his broken ribs in place. It too was cold, causing him to shudder as he inhaled the strong fumes the gel gave off. He managed to catch his breath the more of the fumes he breathed in, allowing his throat to open again and his lungs to regulate themselves once more.

However, she didn't stop there. She already had a cup of water prepared and quickly readjusted him so he could drink the cool liquid. While in his nature to be distrusting, Albel couldn't refused the drink as she was already pouring it down his throat, no doubt using an _Aquarian spy_ technique to force him to involuntarily swallow regardless of what he actually wanted to do. In this state of being, he couldn't fight her off of him and could only observe in mild horror as she bullied his body into doing what she wanted.

"Your fever hasn't broken and your lungs still have an infection," the wench reprimanded him in a scolding tone. "The way you've been taking care of yourself, you're lucky you're not _dead_, Albel. Now rest. You need it if you're ever to recover."

"Don't tell me what to do, _wench_," Albel growled weakly, but his eyes drooped as he began to lose what little energy he had left.

"Don't think your in a position where you can tell me what to do, _husband_." She shot back with ire in her tone. "Hopefully that sedative will keep you resting for the rest of the day."

"You… you _bitch_!" Albel snarled weakly as he realized she had forced him to drink a sedative.

She smirked, crouching so that she was at eye level with him as he fought to hold onto consciousness. She kissed him mockingly on the cheek, ignoring the murderous look he managed to give her despite how droopy his eyelids were.

"Rest well, _dear husband_. We'll talk more when your not so sleepy."

He wanted to retort; he wanted to snarl angrily at her and wring her neck with his good hand; but his vision turned black and he was out before he could do a thing.

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A/N: And here we have the first chapter of a story I've been slowly working on (future chapters are much longer, by the by). I do not promise hasty updates, but I will attempted to construct a schedule that will allow me to work on this more than I have.

I don't know what it is about Albel X Nel, but I absolutely love the pairing. It may have been started when I was playing Star Ocean over again a few years ago and thought how interesting the idea was of two individuals on the opposite side of politics falling in love. I began to read other fan fictions about the pairing, **_Sorceress Myst_** being the main author with my favorites, and thus I slowly began to work out my own.

Just so that you know what to expect, this is mostly a story of two people trying to adjust to being husband and wife in an arrange marriage. I've also always figured, with Albel's personality, that he'd probably not be the one to be the pursuer but the pursued. Nel has always seemed more open and willing to adjust and such, so she's probably the one going to have to win over her dear husband, well, if she can resist irritating him to no end. So, just to recap, this is a story about Ablel's and Nel's married life and how they slowly learn to love one another, especially Albel.

I hope you all will enjoy the story, I'm more comedy than I am tragedy and more slice of life than I am action, but for you, my readers, I'll try to meet your expectations.

OH! And if there is something you'd like to see in a future chapter, just let me know and I'll see what I can do to add it. I also love hearing from my readers and will respond to any and all questions given to me in the reviews, even if it is merely to say thanks for your support!

See you in the next chapter.

_~Lore_

Rose Co**lore**d Philosophies


	2. Feverish Nightmares

**Disclaimer: I do not own Star Ocean or any of its characters. I'm merely using them to entertain myself and others.**

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_**Matrimoniom**_

Chapter 2

_Feverish Nightmares_

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_196 days (Aprx Six and a half months) prior_

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"_What_!?" Nel Zelpher was not the kind of woman to speak so loudly or harshly to her queen, but that statement had taken her off guard.

She glanced up from her kneeling position in Queen of Aquios's throne room. Her majesty stared at her calmly, not at all surprised by the outburst. Her red eyes seem to keep Nel from continuing her outburst and _demanding_ why she would ask her such a thing.

Magistrate Lasselle, the Queen's most trusted advisor, was about to say something to the Queen's remark as well, but the moment those red eyes laid on him, narrowing as if daring him to speak out of turn, he remained silent.

"I know you heard what I said," The Queen's eyes returned to Nel, her calm disposition never changing throughout the whole exchange. "That is why I am asking you, instead of ordering. Would you take this mission if it were to strengthen the bonds of peace between the two nations?"

"But, Your Majesty… I…" Nel for once was shocked beyond words.

She would almost prefer to learn that her god, Apris, and all the other deities her people believe were a mere farce once more than to hear this. Or perhaps even battle their universe's creator, Luther, all over again. She could handle that kind of stress, that kind of pressure, but this?

"I once asked you what price you would pay to see peace in Aquaria once more. You had said, without any hesitation, that you would give anything to have that peace." The Queen reminded her.

Nel wanted to argue. That had been before Fayt, Cliff, and Mirage had fallen out of the sky, crashing in Airyglyph. That had been before the Vendeeni, and that had been before her nation had begun to talk peace with Airyglyph. It felt almost like a life time ago that she had said that, almost wishing she hadn't.

"I'm not forcing you to do this. If you do not wish it, I will merely ask another."

Nel knew this, but she couldn't force another woman to take this mission. If anyone took this mission they were giving up something that was sacred to the people in Aquaria. She would be bound to another soul until one or both of their spirits left this physical plane.

"No, Your Majesty. I will do it." Nel finally agreed, returning her head back to its lowered position and stared at the carpet.

"You will agree to marry the Glyphian nobleman Arzei has selected? Even if he is not one you like or respect?" Her Majesty rose a perfectly groomed eyebrow as she questioned her subordinate. A knowing look barely contained on her face. It was almost as if she was testing her.

"Yes, Your Majesty. I will marry any one of them." Nel nodded.

This wasn't for her own gain, but for her people. It was for peace. Nel, despite having saved the whole entire universe, wanted nothing more than to be a blessing to her nation's people. That was why she had worked so hard as a Crimson Blade. And even if she had to marry the most rotten, perverse, vile nobleman that Airyglyph had to offer, she would do so.

"I am glad to hear of it. Rise, Nel Zelpher, and be proud of what you do for your country." The Queen sounded quite proud of her, motioning the woman to not only rise, but to come close to her.

Nel did so hesitantly, seeing Lasselle stiffen agitatedly in the corner of her eye as her Queen grabbed hold of her forearm and pulled her even closer as she whispered in her ear.

"You shall be greatly rewarded for your selflessness." She whispered before kissing Nel's temple, which was a high honor for the Queen to bestow onto one of her subjects.

Nel didn't know what to say, but was directed by the Queen's hand that was still holding her arm. Her Majesty stood up and pulled her loyal spy away with her. Lasselle's eyes were wide and his mouth dropped when Her Majesty pushed past him, telling his he was dismissed for now, before leading Nel into her room. Lasselle wasn't the only one surprised, but Nel fought to keep up with Her Majesty, just incase she decided to drag her along, since she had yet let go of her arm.

Directed to take a seat wordlessly, Nel sat in one of the elaborate chairs in the Queen's sitting room while the Queen herself disappeared into her bedroom.

"I know you are confused, child, but wait a little longer." The Queen's voice called from her bedroom.

Nel felt stupid when she caught herself nodding when she knew the Queen couldn't see her.

"It feels like it was a long time ago since they had left, does it not?" The Queen returned holding some otherworldly container in her hands.

Nel realized she had meant Fayt and the others.

"A year and a half, Your Majesty."

"I am Queen Romeria Zin Emurille before the public's eye; however, I am merely Romeria in the privacy of my quarters." The older woman told her with a mischievous smile. "And since we are in my quarters, I request you address me accordingly."

"Yes, Your- I… I mean Lady Romeria." Dear Apris, that was the oddest thing she had ever had to say.

Queen Romeria didn't sound too pleased by her adding the title of 'Lady', but ignored it for now. Instead she put her attention back on the strange container as she sat down across from Nel.

"Do you have an idea of which this originated?"

"No, it doesn't look like it belongs here. Is this another-" What did the others call it? "-O.P.A.?"

"Before Fayt and the others came to our planet, this item was considered sacred and otherworldly because it had fallen from the sky. In fact, our people had named it the _Sacred Star of Apris_. We believed that Apris had given Aquor a gift to remind us of his unconditional love for us. Unlike the _Sacred Orb_, which flows endless water, the _Sacred Star of Apris_ is said to give knowledge and wisdom to all who can receive its gifts. Not many people can touch the artifact, and to those who were able to, they gain abilities from touching it, and those were the people who were named the next in line to rule Aquaria."

Finally opening the container up, the Queen showed Nel the artifact that was placed in the middle of soft purple silk. It looked odd, something similar to the technology in the Diplo and Moonbase and even in the 4D realm, but it was like a large fractured gem shard. It glowed a translucent aqua blue and upon it were distinguishable markings that glowed a hue lighter and looked frosted onto the item.

"Those markings," Nel blinked in surprise at her discovery. "They look like-"

"Runology?" Romeria filled in for her, a smile on her face. "Yes, child. This shard is where we discovered our runology powers, a gift of understanding given to our first Queen. She used this knowledge and understanding to help her people and establish Runology as an art. Our Second Queen was given the gift of discernment and foreknowledge, and with that, she had ruled over all the lands without war."

"Each Queen received a different gift?"

"Yes, I received the gift of good judgment. I have used it to read into people's character and tell if they are good or bad people. I know when I'm being lied to and I know when someone is being truthful and sincere." Her gaze laid knowingly upon Nel, her lips turning into a deep smile. "That is why I know you mean what you said and why you act the way you do, Nel."

Those red wine colored eyes never looked so intimidating as they did now. Despite the fact that Her Majesty was giving her a gentle and loving look, Nel felt as if those eyes could pierce through her internal barriers and see the very core of her soul. It made her want to shudder in uneasiness.

"Why are you telling all of this to me?" Nel asked, trying to remove that gaze from her being.

"I want you to touch it and see if you shall receive gifts from it as well." Romeria told her holding the box out further so that Nel could reach it.

"But wouldn't that make me next in line?" Getting married was one thing, but becoming the next Queen of Aquaria? No thanks. She had enough stress keeping her subordinates in line and orchestrated.

"I have already selected my heir." Romeria shook her head. "She has already received gifts from the _Sacred Star_. But that doesn't mean it will not give out gifts to others. Elena and I, when we were both young, had been given the chance to touch the _Sacred Star_. I received gifts as well as Elena, but only I was picked to be Queen."

Well that explained a lot in Nel's mind. Elena was too clever and quick to be outsmarted by _anyone_, even Fayt. She even had the King of Airyglyph wrapped around her little finger.

"But why offer me a chance if you have already selected a heir?"

The Queen almost looked like she was losing her patience, but instead she laughed lightly as she continued to hold the gem fragment out. "Because. I wish to reward you for all you have done. I wish to give you so much more because of your selflessness. And I have a feeling that it will be a great asset to you when making your new life away from the capitol and with your husband. Now touch it, it is heavier than it looks and my arms grow weary from holding it."

That time, her Queen almost sounding like she was teasing, but Nel decided to forgo anymore questions and finally reached out to touch the _Sacred Star of Apris_. As her fingers hovered over it, the gem seemed to come alive and a mist formed around it before attacking her hand like a flow of energy repelling her. She let out a startled gasp at the unpleasant sensations but endured as she pushed her hand against the current of energy and attempted to touch it as so many had tried before.

* * *

Nel was woken with a start by the anguished howl that sounded off from her and her husband's bedroom. Since his unexpected return, Nel had decided to sleep in separate quarters as to not disrupt Albel's recovery. It was slightly disconcerting to know that she could hear him from across the estate and knew that every trained subordinate she had on the premises had been woken by the cry. Quickly tying back her hair into a short ponytail at the nape of her neck, she threw the covers off of her and quickly headed to her room without needing to light a candle. The floorboards were cold, but she paid no mind as she left the room to enter the hall. Several of her employees that lived within the estate poking their faces out of the threshold of their doors, waiting and wondering as they watched their lady head upstairs to reach her bedroom door.

"One of you light a candle and go light up the lamps in my room. The rest of you get some medical supplies ready. I may need assistance if he is to put up a fight," Nel told them. "And get the medicine woman from her chambers, tell her to be ready to inspect him after I have managed to calm him down."

She continued upstairs, but could hear her subordinates' footsteps silently scrambling across the wooden floors. She need not fear that they would not get their tasks done. Not only did her staff respect her, but they respected Albel as well- though he did not know.

Finally climbing the stairs and hastily walking down the long corridor to their bedroom, Nel entered the room and quickly searched the dark room for Albel. She heard the hastily footsteps outside her room and was relieved when one of her maids came in with a lantern, lighting the room in a warm glow.

"That's good," Nel told her, taking it out of her hand and motioning for her to leave, "Stay outside the door and I will call you when I need you."

Using the newfound light, Nel was able to spot Albel tossing and turning in their bed. Nel could tell there was a layer of sweat on his skin as his body glowed against the candle light. He looked so tortured as he clenched his good fist into the bedding beneath him and his head turned from side to side as if he was trying to get away from something. He let out another tortured howl as his dream took another dark turn and Nel quickly reached his side to wake him. His breathing was labored and she could hear the usually rare rumble of the fluids that filled his lungs strong and loud.

"Albel," She tried to wake him gently with her voice, knowing how dangerous it would be to try to touch a warrior of his caliber in his sleep. When that didn't work, she set the lantern on the bedside table and carefully grabbed the shoulder of his good arm to give him a firm shake.

"_Albel_," She said louder, trying not to flinch at the heat his body emitted. He was burning up. It seemed his fever had taken a turn for the worse. Quickly turning her head to the door, she gave her subordinate a order to fetch the medicine woman _now_ instead of after she had calmed him down. His fever would need to be cooled or they could lose him.

Nel went back to shaking her husband, shouting his name when her stern calls would not reach him. He woke with a start, instantly thrashing as he fought her, unaware of where he was and who was touching him. He couldn't move much and he couldn't breath right. His instincts were clawing at him that something was wrong and that he _had_ to get away- to protect himself from any danger.

"Albel Nox," Nel managed to pin him, using her hands to hold his shoulders and her body to pin the rest of him in place. She hardly used his full name- not unless she was quite angry at him or trying to get his full attention. "Calm down."

"Zelpher?" He managed to catch himself, instantly recognizing who had called him. She hadn't heard him call her by name (albeit previous last name) since before they had fought Lucifer two years prior. Especially ever since they had gotten married. Now all he called her was 'wench', 'woman', 'wife', or as he had just recently added yesterday '_bitch_'. But she wasn't about to correct him by telling her that he probably should call her 'Nox' now.

"You were having a nightmare," she told him in a lulling tone, ignoring the wet sensation of sweat dampening her palms and nightgown. She even used her thumbs to rub small circles on his shoulders while continuing to pin him, anything to comfort him from his tormented dreams.

"Where…" He tried to catch his breath, but it wasn't coming to him. She could tell he was disoriented and possibly frightened by the memories he had relived, but she wasn't quite ready to unpin him, though she situated herself so she wasn't putting pressure on his ribs or lungs.

"You're at home, remember?" Nel told him, glancing out of the corner of her eye when she heard the light tap of a hand at the threshold of the door. Albel luckily didn't hear it or would have been thrashing again with paranoia.

"Home…" He nodded, he remembered that. He finally looked at her with his ruby colored eyes that she swore glowed in the candle light. His eyes were half-lidded as he struggled to lift the fog from his mind.

She felt him relax more as his surroundings came back to him, but was still tense. He wasn't one to ever be off guard, not even around those who were his allies. Quickly looking at the door, she gave a quick nod before looking back down at Albel, who was still trying to catch his breath. He had seen her send a look at the door and she could feel him tense his muscles again, ready to fight if he didn't like what was going on.

"Louise, the medicine woman, is here. She is going to give you a check up, alright?" Nel was trying to keep her voice calm so Albel didn't go into a frenzy, but she couldn't be too sure if he'd willingly allow the old Diviner to examine him. She felt his muscles tense even more, as if ready to put up a fight, so Nel continued her explanation, talking gently to soothe his frayed nerves. "Your fever has gotten quite bad since this afternoon and you could have popped some of your stitches when you were thrashing about."

As the small, old Menodix entered the room, Albel's ruby gaze was removed from Nel's to inspect the small critter who, without fear, came strolling up to them. Nel would have groaned if it wouldn't have set Albel off. Louise, a brilliant compounding inventor and extremely experienced medicine woman, had decided to move to Nel's estate after she once again retired from inventing. The old lady wasn't exactly thrilled to move back to where Rodger S. Huxley was her neighbor (he constantly gave her a headache Louise had complained), so Nel had offered her a home here instead. The growing town outside her estate walls had a new workshop with new facilities for compounding. That had been the thing to seal the deal and had given Nel twenty-four hour access to Louise the Diviner (on top of the fee that Fayt had previously paid for her services two years ago). But that didn't mean that the Menodix wasn't a little aggressive or cranky in nature, especially being woken at _night_, and Nel was slightly worried the cantankerous woman would set Albel off if she happened to say something provoking.

The old woman looked at her patient with an apathetic look before setting down the bag of medical supplies she had brought to begin her examination of him. Nel was relieved when the woman decided that she'd talk as little as possible, especially to Albel, who she was still pinning to the bed with her body weight. Several of her maids stood behind Louise, ready to fetch or do anything the elderly Menodix wanted.

"Go get a good washing cloth, a picture, and a basin and fill the picture with cool-ish water." She told one of them and instantly they disappeared to retrieve the needed items. She then turned her attentions her Lord and Lady, attempting to give them respect despite her crankiness of being woken.

"Good morning, Lord Nox," Louise said as she pulled out some items Nel recognized as medical equipment. "I've heard you've been under the weather. Let's see what's going on, shall we?"

Her voice was calm, indifferent in tone as to not startle her patient. To Nel's knowledge, the old woman had never personally met the Wicked One, but perhaps she had noticed his edginess when working in the same workshop as he.

"Let's not." Albel refused, though his breath was still coming out in short, gasping pants. His eyes narrowed at the older woman as she approached regardless, putting the ear buds of a stethoscope in her animal like ears and placed the cool disk at the end of the device on his sweat soaked chest. He flinched then shivered at the feel of the cold metal touching his heated skin, but could do nothing to remove its presence as his wife tightened her grip on him, making it impossible to retaliate.

"Nonsense, Lord Nox." Louise told him in a clipped tone, "We are all concerned about your welfare, especially your dear wife. Now hold still and we can get this done faster."

Before Albel had the chance to retort, which Nel could see he was dying to do, the old woman moved the silver disk to another section of his skin, pressing it there and listening. The Wicked one groaned in discomfort as the cool metal agitated his heated flesh once more.

"Deep breaths, my lord," Louise ordered him.

Nel was somewhat surprised that after a moment of Louise withstanding his harsh glare, Albel removed his stare from her and returned those red wine eyes to Nel's face. What surprised her more was when he actually tried to take a deep breath, coughing as his lungs refused to do so.

"Good, good," the elderly woman encouraged as she pulled away from the moment.

The maid that had left came back in at that moment with the required items and gently set it at her Lord's bedside so that the Menodix could have access to the items. She nodded her thanks to the girl, but continued to keep her eyes on her patient.

"Lady Nox, if you would, help your husband situate to his side, his back facing me. Pull down the covers as well so I have better access to his back."

Nel looked down at Albel before glancing warily at Louise. She was pinning him to the bed and was a little worried of letting him go free. It didn't matter how raging of a fever he had, Albel was still as sharp as a whip and would retaliate if he decided to do so. And Nel didn't want him to harm himself.

"It will be alright. The boy and I have come to an agreement, haven't we?"

"Just get on with it, old hag." Albel muttered lightly before looking up at her. "And as for you, _wife_, I don't need your coddling."

Nel chose to ignore his complaint as she released him. She sat up, relieved that she no longer had to press her pelvis against his. The thin material of her nightgown did nothing to guard her from his heated skin and, though she would never voice it, was beginning to get flustered by the position she had used to keep him down. After getting in a more comfortable position further on the bed, she gently assisted Albel as he struggled to turn to his side. Nel could tell he was becoming agitated by his body's lack of strength but kept quiet as the old Menodix continued her inspection. His eyes resting now on Nel's lap as she focused on watching the Menodix work.

Louise had pulled the covers back a bit more after Nel had readjusted her husband and quickly rested the stethoscope's disk against his back, ignoring the twitch and breathy curse Albel let out when it touched his skin again.

"Hush boy, it should be warming up," Louise muttered before moving it to another location on his back. "Deep Breaths. As deep as you can get them."

Albel begrudgingly obeyed, much to Nel's surprise, but his breaths were still shallow and shaky, as he was unable to comply willingly. Louise's eyes narrowed as she pressed against his lithe, narrow back, getting a harsh reaction from Albel, who jerked forward at the hard touch and cursed her weakly. Somehow his head scooted onto Nel's lap, but she did nothing to discourage him. Albel was a tough cookie to break and her maternal instincts (though not as strong as Clair's or Sophia's) wanted desperately to comfort him.

"Your lungs are inflamed," Louise told him agitatedly.

The Menodix pressed the palm of her hand then between his shoulder blades, scooting him further into his wife's lap as she gently situated him so his back was curled. She tsked as she trailed light fingers across his spine, causing more involuntary reactions. He shivered at the touch, making Nel silently wonder how sensitive his skin was.

"If I can see you're spine _this_ well boy, then you're not eating enough. However, I can tell your spine is straight, that's a good sign at least," the woman said dryly as she continued her inspection.

She pulled down the covers more, but paused as she glanced over her shoulder to see the wide eyes of the women behind her as they stared at their Lord's nakedness. Nel too noticed their staring and was glad that Albel's back was facing them. She didn't know what he would do if he had realized he had been exposed to several of his female staff. It probably wouldn't have been as bad if the three hadn't been Aquarian. But since they were, not only would he have been furious, but Nel believed he would also be embarrassed. Aquarian women liked to gossip about this sort of thing, a lot.

Nel swiftly told them with her eyes to leave and wait to be called. The all nodded silently, their footsteps covered up when the Menodix began to talk again.

"I'm going to check a few things more boy, your injuries after that, and then we'll see what we can do about your lungs and fever. While normally I would immediately attend to your fever, I know you're resilient enough to hold out until after I check your wounds."

"The doctors in Airyglyph have already prescribed him medicine for his lungs. They say he has pneumonia." Nel decided that she would inform the elder before she assigned Albel more drugs to take. She already knew it was going to prove difficult to make him take the medicine he was already prescribed.

"I would say so," Louise rolled her eyes, "The boy's lungs sound like he has a lake in there. I'm surprised they didn't clean his lungs better with a few runology spells."

"He's depleted his body of its needed nutrients for them to successfully use runology."

The Menodix's eyes widened a bit before returning to her prone patient's body. "That would make sense to why he seems so malnourish and skinny." She huffed angrily before bitingly saying, "You just don't make things easy on yourself, do you boy?"

"Shut it _old hag_. I don't want to hear anything from a _worm_ like you." Albel panted, finally finding the energy to pull himself out of his wife's lap and to turn and face the medicine woman. He quickly snatched the edge of one of the bed's blankets and covered his lower regions from the elderly woman.

"Be careful what you say to me, child. I am quite old and not above spanking disrespectful brats like _you_." Her eyes narrowed as she stared him down. "You wouldn't want that to happen, especially not in front of your wife, now do you?"

Albel's eyes lit with burning fire as he glowered at the little Menodix. Nel could almost see where this was going, but before Albel could chew her out, Nel did everyone a favor and covered her husband's mouth before he could spew foul words at the medicine woman.

"Louise, please continue your examination and stop provoking my husband."

"Fine," the elder woman huffed before digging her thumbs into Albel's the sides of Albel's throat. Nel could feel her husband flinch badly before biting her fingers hard. Nel ripped her hand away and glared at the man. He sneered at her, but winced as Louise's hard massage with her thumbs caused him pain.

"Lymph nodes are swollen too," Louise deducted before adding, "Open wide boy, I want to see the back of your throat."

"Bite me, you insufferable old hag," he hissed, refusing to give in. His patience was waning and all he wanted was to be left alone so he could sleep (since he couldn't manage to do more than turn in bed by himself _at all_). He was exhausted from his nightmare and his struggle throughout this entire exam.

"Don't tempt me. I'm a Menodix and I feel no shame about biting brats who irritate me." Louise growled, showing off her pearly white teeth that were sharper than any Aquarian or Glyphian's teeth.

Albel, despite his fever and inability to regulate his breathing, didn't look impressed, almost welcoming the challenge. Nel rolled her eyes as she finally began to take charge over the bickering two.

"I have a feeling that he's done with this check-up. The doctors would have noticed something previously if his tonsils or throat looked susceptible to becoming inflamed or infected. For now, let's just finish this so he can go back to sleep." She honestly preferred him that way- out cold. It was the only time she could get near him without feeling like she was cornering a rabid, wild animal.

"Bah," Louise humphed as she relented. Albel looked smug about winning, so Nel pinched his good shoulder, eliciting a jump, growl, and dirty look from her husband.

Louise spent the next fifteen minutes inspecting his wounds, tsking when she had to re-stitch a few sutures that had broken in his reckless thrashing. Finally getting to his inflamed lungs and raging fever (which Nel couldn't believe that he still be such a pain with such draining conditions ailing him), the medicine woman prepared a few herbal remedies for him to drink and finally put her requested items to work, pouring the water in the basin, mixing it with an herbal remedy, soaking the cloth in it, and resting the cloth upon his forehead to cool his fever. It surprised Nel when Albel took her potions and drinks, not once accusing the old woman of trying to kill him before closing his heavy eyelids to find sleep.

Deciding it best to escort the Menodix back to her room, Nel grabbed the lantern at the bedside and motioned Louise to follow. Once far enough from the room, Louise began to talk.

"If the boy's fever doesn't break by morning, prepare a lukewarm bath for him and let him soak in it for a while. After about ten minutes, get some of your runologist servants to make some ice and put it in a washing tub. Have them bring it up to the bathroom and slowly start cooling the water in the tub. Keep an eye on his temperature, once it decreases enough that he just feels slightly warm to the touch, get him out of the water, dry him off, and back under the covers. I will go searching tomorrow for the needed herbs to completely break his fever."

"He's not going to like that," Nel shook her head, already envisioning him fighting her and any male employees she utilized to put him in a bath.

"Too bad. He should have taken better care of himself then." Louise snorted, jeering her head off to the side with the sneer. "Do your best to placate him. I've known the boy since he was a small child and believe me, I know how stubborn he can be, but it's in his blood to be stubborn. Then again, it's in your blood too, now isn't it?"

"You knew Albel previously to when we traveled through Surferio and recruited you as an compounding inventor?" Nel had not known this.

"I'm not known as Louise the Diviner for nothing. I've made quite the medical history, in and out of the inventors guild, during my life and I plan to continue to do so." Louise said with a haughty grin. "But enough about that. I want to go back to bed. These old bones ache and if I have to travel around searching for herbs, I'm going to need all the sleep I can get. Now, go back to your husband and sleep there. He needs someone to monitor his condition less it worsens. Good night, Lady Nox."

Nel realized then that they had made it back to the old Diviner's bedroom already and before she could ask anymore questions, the sneaky Menodix had already slammed the door shut, locking it loudly.

Nel sighed. The woman was a different level of stubborn that neither she nor Albel had reached yet. Nel secretly hoped she never got to be that bad though. As she turned around to follow the medicine woman's orders, she heard the door unlock and open a bit.

"The boy isn't big on letting people close to him, but he always enjoyed getting his hair washed when he was a child. I don't know if he still likes it, but it's worth a try if it would make him more cooperative if you do end up having to lower his temperature that way." The Menodix sighed, looking as if she was having an inward battle about even saying _anything_ about Albel. "And summon that girl- Mayu I believe her name is- here as one of your kitchen cooks. She's known Albel for a while now, having cooked for him and his men with her mother in the Kirlsa Training Facility. She'd probably know best what he'll eat. I hear she's interested in finding work elsewhere now that the facility is not being used as much. You can use the guild to get in contact with her."

Nel stared in surprise at the small Menodix before nodding and thanking the woman. She hadn't known those things about her husband, but perhaps it was because he never let her know _anything_ about him. All she knew was through what she had observed or heard through others. The woman gave a small huff before shutting and locking her door again. Nel turned around, returning to her bedroom instead of the spare she had been using. Along the way, she told her servants to return to bed, now that the emergency was over. A few volunteered to stay up just in case though, which Nel was grateful for.

Returning to her bedroom, Nel's eyes landed on Albel's form. He had kicked off all of the covers, sweating from the uncomfortable heat they had cause, but Nel knew it was best for him to sweat it out. If left like this, it could make things worse since there was a chill in the air. Going to the other side of the bed, Nel sat down, blowing out the lantern and setting it on her bedside. She scooted further into the bed, getting under the blankets and furs that made up the covers. Once she was situated, she quickly began to cover her husband up, getting a grunt of dissatisfaction from the man as his crimson eyes slit open to stare at her.

"What are you doing here, wench? I thought I was rid of you for the rest of the night." He grumped, but was too exhausted to make his tone venomous.

"Someone needs to watch you in your condition." Nel told him calmly, pulling the covers back up to his chin. "Plus, this is where I have slept for the past six months. I'm not about to give up my bedroom simply because my _husband_ doesn't like sharing." She gave a frustrated sound when Albel began to defiantly push the covers off of him. "You need to keep the covers on, husband." She quickly grabbed them again and pulled them up to his chin once more.

"Leave me alone," he growled weakly, giving her a withering glare.

"No can do, dear," Nel said mockingly as she scooted closer to him so she could peck his cheek brazenly. "You're not allowed to die until I 'pop out at least two _heirs_' remember? (Don't look so appalled, Albel, those were your words, not mine.) So until that happens, I will do everything within my power to keep you alive." Teasingly kissing his face again, she wrapped an arm around him, fisting the covers in her hand in order to prevent him from pushing them down. She knew she was testing his temper when she rested her head on his pillow, pressing her nose into his temple, but she wasn't about to take chances with him. She heard him growl and felt him squirm about, but held on till he ran his dwindling reserve of energy dry.

She admired him once again as he slept, enjoying the peaceful look on his face despite his poor condition. Pressing a soft kiss on his temple she murmured a gentle goodnight and bid him to get well.

Because despite how much he didn't like her, she couldn't bring herself to despise or dislike her husband. Despite any scathing remarks or underhanded tactics she used to annoy or bend him to her will, she deeply respected him and wanted to love him, even against her better judgment. She secretly wanted their union to be more than just for peace, but knew her husband wasn't ready for that. So she'd be there, waiting till he was.

* * *

A/N: So yes, I did add a bit more to their world, like adding in the _Sacred Star of Apris_, but I have a lot of ideas for this story and some of them would only be explained through things like culture and religion- some of which I would need to create. The O.P.A's in the world of Star Ocean seem to be like glitches, easter eggs, cheats, or game items in mmorpgs that are for administrators only. In this case, the _Sacred Star of Apris_ is a character skill amplifier. I thought that'd make a lot more sense as to why Romeria always seemed to believe or trust in Fayt when his words, despite the little evidence he had, sounded far too outlandish.

Also, a note about Albel. Yes, he still has his bad arm. I know some people say that he got a prosthetic that had the functionality to move like a real arm, but, even in Aquaria, I don't really see the evidence to support that. _Maybe_ Greeton, but he'd have to have someone from Greeton who knew what they were doing. So for now, he still has his barely usable arm and some sort of mechanism that amplifies its strength and movements. Without it, his arm is useless. However, he only wears it normally when he's on duty or leaving his room. Otherwise, its a hassle to put on or take off.

Also, a note about Nel. I wasn't super specific as to if she was blessed by the O.P.A. you'll just have to wait and see if she was.

Now, for a quick shout out to my first two reviewers: **CWolf2 **and **Hitoshirezu Ryu.** Thank you both so much for taking the time to read and review. I hope I will continue to entertain you with more of Albel and Nel's dysfunctional married life as they try to come to terms with it and even after they 'accept it' and have to deal with other... issues that seem to pop up.

See you in the next chapter,

~_Lore_

Rose Co**lore**d Philosophies


	3. Petulant Warrior

**Disclaimer: I do not own Star Ocean or any of its characters. I'm merely using them to entertain myself and others.**

* * *

_**Matrimoniom**_

Chapter 3

_Petulant Warrior_

* * *

_200 days prior_

"_What_!" Albel Nox was known for having a nefariously short temper, but he was hardly one to raise his voice unnecessarily, especially to his king.

However, he couldn't keep his voice low as he fought to keep his temper from skyrocketing through the roof. It was taking everything within him not to draw the Crimson Scourge from its sheath and slaughter all that were in the throne room. His hand twitched compulsively as he remained still, regaining whatever dignity he may have lost for his outburst.

"I'm not repeating myself again, Albel." King Arzei told him calmly, not even afraid for a moment to lose his life.

He knew that Albel would never kill him. If Arzei died, the next in line for the throne was Albel. The king had only recently married Elena and she had yet to conceive a child to inherit the throne. That was probably the only reason Arzei knew he was safe from Albel's temper tantrum. Albel didn't want to become king. At all. Not only was being king one giant headache of a responsibility, but it was almost like living in a gilded cage. Albel would have to give up all his freedom if he became king and the boy _knew_ it too. Hence why Arzei was still alive, even after his surprising edict.

"And what makes you even _think_ that'd I would accept this outlandish edict of yours?" Albel grounded out between his teeth as he tried to keep from shouting like a spoilt noblemen brat.

"Because I am your king and I said so." King Arzei smirked haughtily before throwing in a better answer. "But since that will hardly convince you of anything, perhaps you should do as I say or I will strip you of your title, remove you from power in both brigades, take away your land, your wealth, your good reputation as a hero of this land, and banish you permanently from the kingdom your family, your father especially, protected for generations. Would that be better incentive for you, Lord Albel?"

Albel had to bite the insides of his cheeks in order to keep himself from saying anything he would regret. He was hot-tempered, not foolish. He knew that the king would follow through if he was bothering to even make such a thorough threat. Albel wanted to tell him to do just that, but his loyalty to the Kingdom of Airyglyph wouldn't allow such careless words to fall from his mouth.

"Rethinking my offer now that the consequences have been laid out before you, young Lord Albel?" King Arzei said in a pleased tone, noticing how the young man's temper was slowly being reigned in.

"Yes," Albel hissed, glaring openly. "But mark my words, Your Majesty, I will find a way to reap my revenge for such a decree as this."

"I wouldn't expect anything else from you, boy." King Arzei smiled cunningly. "But if I am to go down for this, I'm taking Count Woltar with me. He's the one who suggested it to me."

"That rotten old man," Albel hissed under his breath. He should have known that Woltar could be found behind this. That man was always involved with his personal affairs, including such an important thing as this.

"I bet he even has everything down to the wench already picked out as well." Albel muttered as he thought about what he was being coerced to do.

"You make it sound like we're giving you the death penalty, Lord Albel. We're merely concerned with your relationship status. Being a lord and single can be very taxing on one's soul."

"You and that rotten old man are using me to make allowances for your own marriage to that intrusive Aquarian woman. I suppose it should seem like it was my own idea to marry the accursed wench you have arranged me to marry as well?" Albel snapped harshly, almost immediately regretting his words when His Majesty perked up even more.

"What a splendid idea, Lord Albel! That would make it seem much more authentic!" The king didn't bother to mention that he and Woltar had already thought of that as well. It would do good to allow Albel to think he set himself up for that one himself.

Albel was grinding his teeth at this point and trying desperately to keep his temper in check. "Fine," he barely managed out. "Whose the unlucky bitch I have to bind myself to through matrimony."

King Arzei kept smiling as he looked down at his general. "I haven't the slightest idea. Romeria is deciding the identity of your future bride, not I."

Albel's temper finally cracked, causing him to let out a frustrated howl as he threw the nearest object over the railing of the second floor before storming out to the training facility in the back of the castle to beat the snot out of whoever was unlucky enough to be there. King Arzei didn't mind much, seeing as this was much better than he had originally expected.

* * *

Growing up in the middle of war had forced Nel to be somewhat of a person of habit. Okay, she lived by her habits. It was how she had survived as long as she had when on enemy territory. One of the biggest habits she had was rising with the sun. Always, never failing unless she was beyond exhaustion, Nel had risen right before dawn, when the sun was barely lighting the sky but had yet peaked over the horizon.

Even now, two years after peace had been obtained, she could not rid herself of the habit. Nel woke moments before sunrise, as always, but this time to a new sight. Though she had been married to Albel for about six months now, she had never woken up beside him in the same bed. In fact, last night was the first time she had shared the same bed with him. From day one, Albel had refused to let her be anything more than just a noblewoman from Aquaria that happened to be wed to him and share a last name with. If he had been keeping himself at arm's length before, during their adventures through space, then he was definitely pushing her back with both arms out as if to keep her from getting to close to him personally.

She had voiced those concerns to Queen Romeria in the privacy of the other woman's suite in Airyglyph Castle. King Arzei had it made for Queen Romeria for when the female Royal came to visit newly wed Queen Elena, but the crimson eyed Imperial had utilized it during that occasion to stay close to Nel less she need guidance in her time of anxiety. That had been right before she had married Albel and even then, he had been pushing her away, attempting at every moment that they were not on display to be away from her.

Romeria had laughed at her, already having observed Nel and Albel's interactions from afar. Nel knew that the Queen's gift allowed her to see what lay beyond that obnoxious visage and wanted to receive solace from the older woman.

_"Fear not,"_ She remembered Romeria's words. _"He is as frightened as you are, perhaps more, in this whole affair. He holds you back from him in fear of what you will become to him if he fails to retain that distance."_

Needless to say, Nel still didn't fully understand why, but she understood that she had to remain patient and calm if she was to _ever_ reach Albel. This would be a long and difficult game of 'one step forward, two steps back'. Nel wished at times that the _Sacred Star of Apris_ had gifted her with the ability to understand people and their inner workings, much like Queen Romeria's ability allowed, but it had not.

Keeping her eyes strictly on Albel's sleeping face, she noted how gorgeous his features were. His beauty far outshone most women that Nel had ever met. Long lashes, smoothly angled features, and soft, flawless skin decorated his face. Actually, most of his body fit the description outside of his distorted left arm. She had been the one to redress his wounds during his stay here and knew exactly what was under those bindings. And if she had her way, only she and Louise would ever see what was under those wrappings.

Nel quickly forced her thoughts off of the flame-eaten arm and refocused on his pretty face. Most men couldn't pull of such lovely features and still look masculine, but, of course, her husband was able to do so very well. She smiled as she continued to observe him, content in this quiet moment and allowed herself to memorize his face's subtle detail unabashed. She didn't know when another moment like this would come.

As the sun slowly filtered into the room, lighting it up little by little, Nel gave into the temptation of touching his face, pushing his long sheep-dog fringes from his eyes so she could see his closed lids without hindrance. The cloth that had been resting on his forehead last night to cool his temperature had slipped sometime during the night and now laid on the other side of his head, she noticed as she pushed his sweat dampened hair away from his brow.

On many occasions, Nel wondered how Albel could see at all, since his fringes fell into his eyes all the time. When they had first been on a team together, she had been sorely tempted for a while to cut those sheep-dog looking bangs of his just because it _bugged_ her. Now, after getting accustomed to him, she liked them. Not that she would ever tell Albel that. He wasn't ready for her to give him praises or fuss over him like a wife should. Nel, had it been six months earlier, would have not been able to even think about Albel the Wicked like this, but, even though he had been absent in her life during that time period, she had been slowly warming up to the idea of being married to him.

It could have been worse. She could have married a nobleman who would not have understood her- the warrior that she was. He would have made her give up her work and stay at home and play baby-maker. Another other man, that is, not Albel. Though he wasn't fond of the idea of being married to her, he had not stopped her from continuing her work as a Crimson Blade. In fact, the reason she stayed at home was because she was working on a different kind of mission that needed her to supervise until she was sure everything would not collapse without her constant watching. And as far as she knew, Albel wasn't interested in having children- despite what his orders were. If anything, _she_ was going to have to be the one to seduce _him_ into trying for some (and she was sure she was going to have to get him _very_ drunk before he even relented to her affections). Yes, it could have been very much worse, Nel concluded.

Playing with his hair a bit longer, knowing that she wouldn't be able to do it after he was recovered enough to wake at the lightest of touches, Nel knew she should probably begin her daily routine. Let Albel sleep a bit longer before checking up on his wellbeing, since she had woken him up from his nightmare and had subjected him to a check-up with Louise. But, just to make sure that his temperature had gone down, Nel sat up and leaned over him, pressing her lips to his forehead to take his temperature.

"Still too hot," she mumbled to herself after lifting her head a bit and resting her forehead against his to double check her reading.

She sighed quietly as she came to the same conclusion. It wasn't as horrible as last night, but his fever had yet to break. It wasn't as cool as it should have been, if he had been suffering from a simple fever or cold. She had taken care of Clair before when her friend had caught a fever and Nel remembered that Clair's temperature was not as high as his.

"Is there a reason you're assaulting my face, woman?"

Nel blink in shock when her jade eyes met his crimson ones and realized Albel had asked her a question.

"I was taking your temperature," Nel told him, pulling her head away from his to give him more personal space. "I was trying to be quiet about it so I didn't wake you."

Usually, she would be a bit more aggressive with him, but since he was unwell, she felt that taking a calm tone would soothe his distrust. Only Sophia seemed to be able to get under Albel's defenses and Nel had figured the brunette had done so with that gentle nature of hers.

"Hn," Albel grunted, closing his eyes tiredly as he coughed lightly. He honestly still looked exhausted and had deep circles under his eyes, she noticed from this angle she was at. Even his skin was paler than normal. She could see that now that the sun had risen more. "Well don't do it again. I don't want a maggot like you invading my personal space."

She believed he had every intention of his comment sounding scathing and insulting, but he wasn't able to make his tone match in his weakened state. Nel knew that the moment he was feeling better, he had every intention of making her life miserable. Not that she wouldn't be trying to get under his skin as well, once he was able to take it, of course. For now, she'd be mostly nurturing, but the moment he got his usual bite back, she was going straight for the throat.

"I will do what I want with you, _husband_. In your condition, there's not much else you can do but take it." she replied haughtily. Despite her intentions of nurturing and letting him recover before going back to her stubborn, argumentative self, Nel knew that she would have to retain some of that personality quirk in order to boss him around.

Albel hissed a few words under his breath. Nel couldn't hear exactly what he said, but was sure that none of them were kind. She tried to hide her smug smirk, but without her scarf around her neck to hide her mouth, it was easily seen on her lips. She gave him a quick peck on the cheek, easily irritating the weakened warrior anew, before rolling out of bed and pulling the covers back up upon her husband.

"If you truly want to get back at me, get better, husband. That's the only way." Nel was sure to tell him before he could throw the covers off to spite her efforts. "I will be back with your breakfast after I handle a few morning details."

Albel glared darkly at her, but made no movement to throw off the covers. She was right in her assessment. The best way to get back at her (_all_ of them, the king and Woltar included) for this humiliation subjected upon his person, he first needed to recover from his ailment. Then, once his health _and_ strength had been restored, he'd give them all _hell._

"Good boy, Nox," Nel praised him as she left the room, still in her nightgown. Her clothes were still in the spare room that was across the estate that she had been staying in prior to last night. She heard him give out small harumph at her words, but nothing more. She peeked at him from the corner of her eye to see him lying on his back, staring with heavy lidded eyes at the ceiling with the covers still pulled up to his chin. He was probably out within moments after she left, his fever taking a heavy toll on his energy levels.

_Focus on recovering, dear husband._ Nel thought to herself as she made her way back to the spare room to fetch her clothes.

Once dressed, Nel went through her usual morning routine. Morning was a perfect time for reviewing letters and papers that she had received late in the day before, going over her own letters once more before sending them off with her seal, assigning some of her men and women to check into information that had been given to her, assign other pressing missions, and even a few personal chores she liked doing herself, like walking through the small town and seeing the people open their shops.

Before she left for her walk, she had ordered a few of her staff to ready a bath and let it cool to lukewarm temperature as well as ready ice packs in order to cool Lord Albel's high fever to a reasonable temperature. She planned to eat her breakfast before attempting to put him in a bath, then she'd get him his breakfast afterwards, if he was still awake to eat the first meal of the day, if not, she had two other meals to try to get him to eat.

She wasn't too worried about Albel disrupting her morning routine, leaving a little later than usual to walk about the town. Nel always came back by nine for breakfast and today was no different. However, while she had been in town, she had stopped off at the workshop to contact the inventor's guild headquarters about Mayu. She requested that the younger woman be transferred here, since she was still under contract from when Fayt had commissioned her to work for their team, and work at her estate as one of her chefs. She hoped to get a confirmation that Mayu was on her way by tomorrow morning.

When she came back to her and Albel's estate, she was greeted by any of her personnel that she happened to pass and greeted them back in return. She had taken the times to know all of her staff. Some might say she was slightly paranoid of people sneaking in, posing as staff when they were not, but she had done so on multiple occasions and wasn't going to take risks. No one was hired without her say so. Even the soldiers and trainees sent to her from both Aquaria and Airyglyph had to pass her personal security check and even then, only select personnel were allowed on her property. Again, old habits caused by war.

She went to the dining area, where her breakfast was waiting for and sat silently in the empty room as she ate her breakfast and began working on reading through her new documents and letters that had been delivered while she had been out. By this time, Nel always had at least two letters to read and, at minimum, one document that needed her attention or, at worse, five. Today, there were three letters and one document to look over and begin writing her response to.

Nel didn't mind the work since it distracted her from the silence of the dining area. No one else ate with her, despite her hidden wishes, since she was the Lady of the house, one of the leaders of the Crimson Blades, a noblewoman by birth, and a hero of worlds. She hadn't realized, until after Fayt and the others had gone and she was not constantly on missions, how lonely and quiet meals were now that she ate alone. She missed their boisterousness, their arguments over who'd get the last bit of food, their poor manners, and their company. Even Albel had joined in at times, bickering with the rest of them when they had ruffled his feathers enough. She mentally noted to herself to start looking for a Lady's companion to spend her time with if the silence was bothering her.

Shortly after finishing her breakfast, still glancing over the document as she continued to sit in the dining area, a member of her staff informed her that the bath was ready anytime she wanted to implement it.

"Let me check on my husband first before I make that decision." She told the subordinate, still skimming the last few pages of the document. "Have about two men ready to assist, however, if I deem him in need of cooling down. I won't need their help unless he fights me, so be ready regardless in about fifteen minutes. I have a feeling he won't want to do it, but he might give up once he's in the bathtub. By then, I can handle the rest on my own."

She felt odd making such peculiar demands of her staff, most of them completely use to assisting in bathing their Lords and Ladies as a part of their job, but Albel was a proud man and he wouldn't want others to see him in such a vulnerable state. Not only because it might make him seem weak, but because he was wary of people who had not earned his trust. Nel was his wife, so by default, he _had_ to trust her, regardless of whether he truly wanted to or not.

"Yes, Lady Nel." The young woman curtsied as she agreed to her orders.

"Also, has Louise left already to search for those herbs in the forest?" She was still scanning the document as she asked her next question.

"She left shortly after you left for your usual walk around the town, Lady Nel."

"Thank you, Felicity. Please see that those things are taken care of. You are dismissed for now."

"Yes, your Ladyship." Felicity curtsied once more before she left the room with quiet haste to make sure everything was done according to Nel's specifications.

Nel mentally reminded herself to talk to Phyllis, the housekeeper, about the young maid. The girl was a hard worker and she always got her tasks finished in a timely manner and they were always very well done. Nel was considering making the girl her Lady's maid if she were to keep up such good quality work. Though she was quite young to be a Lady's maid, Nel couldn't care less. She wanted an attendant that she felt she could trust and out of all of her current employees, she was finding Felicity to be the best fit.

Ten minutes later, Nel was once more in her room, sitting on the bed and checking up on her husband. He was out cold at the moment but his fever was raging worse than earlier that morning. Nel cursed quietly as she quickly called for the men waiting outside her room to come assist her with getting her husband to the bathtub immediately. Albel barely stirred when he was hefted up by one of the bigger men and carried to the bathroom one door down from the main bedroom.

Nel followed them in, ordering the other men who were not currently needed to fetch her a few necessary items while keeping an eye on Albel. The moment he was placed into the lukewarm water, he was startled awake and instantly on the defense. The Aquarian spy was currently very glad that the Wicked One was not at full strength since he automatically grabbed at her subordinate's throat and squeezed. She was able to quickly pry his fingers away and dismissed the man now that he had finished his task.

It was obvious that Albel was startled and disoriented. He was desperately trying to get his barring on what was going on as well as get out of the cool water. The difference between his temperature and the water's lukewarm temperature was vastly different enough to cause him to shiver.

"Albel," Nel grabbed his shoulders and pushed him back down into the tub, water splashing onto the tile as she did so. "You're fever has shot up. We need to get you cooled down to a more tolerable temperature."

Her calling his name caused his eyes to snap towards hers. He stared at her for a moment before relaxing a bit, at more ease now that he was aware that this was _her_ doing. "Zelpher?"

"Yes, Nox, it's me." She let out a breath she didn't know she was holding as she lightened her grip on his shoulders. "You're fever is really bad right now."

"So you put me in a tub of cold water?" He was trying not to chatter his teeth as he spoke.

"It's lukewarm." She corrected him as she sat on the ground next to the tub, uncaring if the tile was wet or if it got her dress wet either. "We're trying to bring your temperature down. Louise isn't back from her trip into the forest yet, so we have to do what we can until she gets back."

"Th-this is ridiculous," he chattered slightly, moving to try to pull himself out of the tub, but Nel pushed against his shoulders, well aware that he was too weak to fight against her.

"Stay in." She told him harshly. "If you're temperature doesn't drop and keeps rising, it'll kill you, Albel."

Her viridian eyes clashed with his vermillion ones as they stared each other down, battling each other's will in that one look. Albel broke away first, looking pissed as he did so. He was not in a good mood and his fever wasn't helping, not to mention the rude awakening he had gotten when he had been dumped into the _lukewarm _water. He didn't want to give in, but he could see it in the blasted wench's eyes that she would _not_ back down and would fight him tooth and nail on this. Given his current condition, he knew it was only a matter of time till she won, so he saved what little energy he had and gave in to her. For now.

"Whatever..." He grumbled as he further reclined into the water, pulling out his left arm out of the tub as he rested his head against the rim of the tub and concentrated on containing his shivering. He coughed a bit, but nothing extensive like the day before.

Nel's eyes gentled as he gave in and she slowly removed her hands from his now submerged shoulders. Before she could think about it fully, she caught herself murmuring quietly, "Thank you Albel."

"I'm not doing it for you, fool..." He responded. He sounded exhausted to Nel, despite his energy moments beforehand. She looked at his face, not surprised to see the dark rings under his eyes or how heavy lidded his eyes were despite the fact that he was shivering. His face was flushed from his fever and he looked worse for wear, even his hair was slick from sweat and grease.

Nel suddenly remembered what Louise had mentioned to her the night before as she reached out to touch one of his fringes. His eyes opened as he jerked his head away from her touch a bit, unsure of what she was thinking of _now_.

"Your hair is dirty. Let me wash it for you." She told him matter of fact as she moved to stand and get some shampoos and soaps so she could at least do _something_ while monitoring his temperature. She completely ignored Albel's fierce no as she gathered up her needed items, including a basin to rest underneath Albel's head at the foot of the tub.

"Damn it, Zelpher," he ranted irately at her as she gently pulled his hair out of the tub and tilted his head in a better angle. He tried to pull away from her, but her hands just kept setting him back where she wanted him. "Stop mollycoddling me! I don't want you-" He was cut off by a sudden attack of coughing.

"Stop over exerting your lungs, Albel." Nel nagged him as she sat behind him on a stool she had found. She was beginning to wet his hair using a cup with the water from the basin, having already retrieved and set up her needed items. "And I'm not mollycoddling you. Now stop squirming like a little child and let me wash your damn hair."

The comment greatly irritated Albel, but the shot at his pride paid off as he sulked quietly in the tub, shivering and muttering darkly. Nel focused on his duo toned hair. It still shocked her at times that the whole bottom half of his hair was blonde. She sometimes wondered if he dyed it since the tips of his hair were also the same blonde color, but she kept that to herself as she continued to wet and detangle his hair.

"How do you manage all this hair?" Nel couldn't help wonder aloud as she continued to work her hands through it. This was probably the reason she personally had _short_ hair, though she was finding that she liked playing with her husband's long hair.

"There's a _reason_ I keep it in wraps, you know." Albel muttered scathingly, though there was a severe lack of venom in his voice as she continued to wet his hair and run her fingers through it.

"It's kind of a shame," Nel admitted as she put the cup down and began to pool a generous portion of shampoo into her open palm. "It's really pretty."

If looks could kill, that one would have struck her dead in a matter of a second. However, since looks could _not_ kill, his withering glare was ignored as Nel began to work the shampoo from the top of his head down, secretly quite satisfied with herself for getting under his skin so easily.

"Warriors are not _pretty_, woman." He spat, trying to, and failing, to repress the shiver caused by her nails raking against his scalp in a massaging manner.

"They are where I'm from," Nel hummed, reminding her husband that most of her people's warriors were women. "Even some of the men at times are prettier than their female counterparts."

"Your people are a mockery to_ real_ warriors everywhere." Albel hissed lowly, growling irritatedly when his hair was pulled. Hard.

"Aquaria's soldiers are just as much warriors as Airyglyph's soldiers." Nel reprimanded. "Our views are merely different than yours when it comes to what makes a _true_ warrior, _Nox_. Plus, we were able to work together just fine when we were campaigning against Luther and his army of Executioners."

"Bah," Albel scoffed. "Just because I trusted you at my back more than the rest of those _worms_ doesn't mean anything. I didn't have a lot of options, now did I?"

"But you trusted _me_ to watch your back." In Albel terms, that spoke volumes.

Ablel suddenly realized what he had admitted and quickly tried to cover up the accidental confession. "It's not like I could rely on the others. That fool, Leingod, had the attention span of a hyperactive toddler; that half-wit blonde ran around relying on his _hunches _of all things; that blue-haired worm could only _talk_ her enemies into a bored stupor; that oblivious girl couldn't do more than a few magick tricks; the bratty runt was worse than the blue-haired worm in running his mouth; the pipsqueak was _far_ worse than the fool Leingod with her attention span; don't even mention that _worm_, Lasbard, to me; and the blonde wench had proved _nothing_ to me in the little time she joined our campaign. I had to trust my back to _someone_, and I unfortunately only had _you_ left as a viable option."

"So out of your entire circle of _trusted_ comrades, you trusted me the most." Nel easily reiterated for her husband. "Why Nox, I'm _touched_."

"Damn you, Zelpher, that's _not_ what I'm saying!" The Glyphian raged as he tried to pull away from her hold. "Stop twisting my words about to suit your psychotic delusions!"

Nel pulled his hair again, forcing him to lie his head back against the rim of the tub. "Alright, alright." She'd let it go. For now. "Just relax. It's hard to wash your hair when your squirming about."

Any argument from Albel's half died when Nel strategically massaged his scalp at just the right spot, causing him to groan in pleasure. His eyes closed as he leaned a bit more into her touch. Nel couldn't help but smile. He really did like getting his hair washed, despite his efforts to make it seem that he did not.

"This isn't over, Zelpher, not by a long shot." He slurred lazily. He seemed to be getting drowsy from her efforts, despite the shivering.

"Of course not, Albel," she hummed as she began running her fingers through the longer parts of his hair.

It took her a few moments to realize he was out like a light. She checked his temperature, noticing it was slowly dropping and that the water wasn't as cool as before. She quickly went to the door, hands still full of shampoo in order to retrieve the basin of ice that her staff had strategically left for her to find.

Slowly she began to cool the water back down, keeping an eye on his temperature as well as finishing washing his hair. She had even applied the bottle of conditioner that Sophia had given her to soften his hair. Hey, it was put to better use on his hair than her short locks.

She soon had his hair cleaned and since his temperature was slowly dropping, she decided to wash him as well, since he wasn't awake to complain about her 'touching his person so familiarly'. He was her husband, damn it, she should have known his person _intimately_, not that she was really complaining. She was quick in washing him, her nimble fingers dexterously undoing his bandages and gently washing over his wounds as to not open them and cause them to bleed anew. Soaking them was already pushing it, she felt very fortunate that none of them had reopened thus far. She even unwrapped his arm, dabbing it gently with a dry towel when she realized the wraps had been accidentally soaked when he had been initially put into the tub.

By the time she was done washing him and removing his soaked bandages, his fever had dropped to a reasonable temperature, allowing Nel to drain the tub while she fetched a few towels. She knew there were a few members of her male staff waiting for her call to come and assist her with Albel, but she decided to do as much as she could herself to preserve her husband's overwhelmingly swollen pride.

She tended to his arm first, getting a clean set of silk bandages to wrap it up in after putting a soothing poultice on the top epidermis of the limb, much like she had seen Albel do when he thought no one was looking. Woltar had given her the poultice specifically for this use, so she knew it was the right one to use. Once his arm was attended to, she went to work drying her husband and wringing out the extra water in his hair. She'd dry it later, after returning him to bed.

"Albel." She calmly called to him as she finished drying the last part of him. He still needed clean bandages, but she'd deal with that when she got him back to bed. "Albel." She called again, getting him to stir this time.

He looked at her drowsily, silently asking her what she wanted that she had to wake him up. Nel wasn't deterred as she crouched to wrap his good arm over her shoulders. "I need you to help me get you back in bed."

The Wicked One closed his red wine colored eyes once more, uninterested in helping her in the least.

"It's either you help me now, or I go get someone bigger than me to help carry you like a little child." Nel threatened, hardly surprised when her husband actually began to help her pull him out of the tub.

The trip back to their room was quick, Nel only having to half drag Albel since he was nearly out of it and barely able to keep himself from being deadweight at her side. Luckily for Nel, she was use to helping Clair drag her drunken father out of bars when the two of them had been much younger. There was a reason Adray was _not_ allowed to drink.

Upon entering the room, the redhead mentally told herself to find Phyllis and thank the woman for thinking ahead. The sheets, pillows, blankets, and even the furs had been exchanged out for clean ones and the bed was already prepared to lie Albel in. The old Housekeeper had even laid out a clean pair of white cotton braies for her to dress the Glyphian in.

Nel wasted no time doing so and soon she was wandering about the room to look for a brush after redressing his bandages, dressing him in the Aquarian undergarments, and towel-drying his hair the best she could. Now all she had to do was brush his hair dry and she would call this endeavor a success. Albel was out shortly after setting him on the bed and remained that way for the duration of her work, which is how she very much preferred him when she had to deal with 'touching his person'.

She fetched her brushes from her vanity within the room as well as a few of her mother's hair ornaments. While Nel had short, manageable hair she remembered fondly that her mother had always hand long luxurious hair, of which she enjoyed to adorn with the lavished hair ornaments Nel's father, Nevelle, showered upon her. And while Nel was grateful for the keepsakes now that her mother and father had both passed, she had no use for most of her mother's collection of hair ornaments, seeing as her hair wasn't long enough to use most of them.

But _Albel's_ was plenty long. Oh, if he knew of all the thoughts that were dancing mischievously in her mind, he would have murdered her right on the spot or tried to at least. Brushing her husband's long hair, she worked out all the knots and tangles within the silky locks. She hummed silently as she decided how to go about doing his hair. Eventually, when it was dry enough, she ended up braiding it in a style that Sophia had taught her on one of their rare down times. It was called a fish tail and it looked amazing in Albel's long locks of blonde hair. At the end of the braid, she tied the remaining length in a thick knot before clicking on one of her mother's more ornate cylinder clasps that had small teeth in the inside of the circular object that would keep the accessory in place. It was way more useful than any regular old hair tie and it required the use of both hands to get it off.

Sure, Albel would probably spew a storm of foul, angry words at her for not only braiding his hair in a 'girly fashion' but also because of the silver ornate clasp that he wouldn't be able to remove since she had put it on the knot she had made. To be honest, Nel couldn't wait. There was something about riling up her reluctant husband that made her want to smile.

"Bullying your husband, I see." Nel's attention was diverted from her work to see her housekeeper, Phyllis Thrussell, standing at the entrance of the door with a tray. Nel realized that it was filled with letters and papers that needed her attention now that her husband did not. She almost frowned, having been enjoying herself, but work was work and it didn't wait for anyone. If anything, if she didn't get to it now, it'd pile up worse than that.

"Maybe~." Nel responded coyly, already putting the other hair ornaments back into the jewelry box they belong in.

Phyllis let out a small laugh as she entered the room to set the tray on the end table near the writing desk in the room. "You two are something else. Even as babes, you use to always try making that boy angry at you and give chase. Especially the time you spooked him when he had been climbing a tree and caused him to land in a mud puddle below and proceeded to laugh at him for screaming like a girl. And I can never forget the time he managed to cut off your pigtails without any of us looking. I swear, we never were able to convince you to grow it out again after that."

Nel frowned as she stared at the much older Aquarian woman. "What are you talking about, Phyllis? I didn't meet Albel until right before the war. I had snuck into Kirlsa Training Grounds to rescue my subordinates from his second-in-command. That's the first time he and I met officially."

"As adults, maybe," Phyllis corrected for her, already heading over to Nel to put the jewelry box away for her, "but your father and his father were the best of friends growing up. Lord Nox often came over to visit Lord Zelpher, usually bringing young Lord Albel with him." She by that time had already retrieve the box from Nel and was placing back in its spot as she mused for a moment. "I think you were barely five when the talk of war finally forced both your fathers to cease their meetings. You cried a long while over your missed friend when you realized he wasn't going to be coming back."

Nel looked at her with great confusion, trying hard to place the memories that the older woman spoke of, but none of them were coming to her at all. "I don't remember that."

"Of course you wouldn't. You were hardly five at the time he stopped coming." Phyllis tsked. "I doubt even my own children could remember their childhood friends from that age, even if they tried. Even Lord Albel probably does not remember such events from that age."

She walked back to where Nel was, taking in the drenched skirt of her dress. "Lady Nel Sibyl Nox." She scolded. "What are you doing in wet clothes!"

Nel glanced down at her skirt, suddenly remembering that Albel had unintentionally gotten it wet earlier. Phyllis sighed as she took Nel's hand and ushered her to the wardrobe in the room. "Come now, let's get you dressed in something dry before you _both_ end up lying sick in bed. This isn't like back at your family's estate, where walking around in wet clothes won't give you a chill. We're in cooler weather here, it's much easier to catch cold."

"My clothes are actually still in the spare room I was using on the first floor." Nel informed the housekeeper, who turned and gave her a vexed look.

"I still don't understand _why_ you went and did that." Nel gave her a shrug and the woman sighed, giving in to her lady's odd ways. "Fine. I will go fetch you a new outfit and see to it that the chamber maids move your clothes _back_ to where they belong. Now, start undressing, I'll be back with fresh, dry clothes shortly."

Nel sighed as soon as her head housekeeper left. That woman was probably the _only_ reason she owned dresses. She much rather preferred her uniform that she wore while on duty as a Crimson Blade, but it really didn't go over well when she off duty, especially once she became _Lady Nox_. Sure, Albel probably didn't care either way, but the people in the newly founded town were from both Aquaria and Airyglyph and most were ignorant to her identity as a Crimson Blade, only that she had been a high ranking officer during the war and that she, along with Albel, saved the land from the Executioners. Now that she wasn't working actively as a spy, she was forced to fit into the people's image of an Aquarian noblewoman. And while most of them knew she wasn't one's stereotypical dainty and defenseless noblewoman, she was still expected to wear at least a skirt most of the time. So, being the good spy she was, she fit herself to their expectations and allowed Phyllis to fill her wardrobe with a multitude of dresses and long skirts.

She slowly began to undress, unhooking the multiple latches that kept her dress together and soon was stripped down to her petticoat, bloomers, stockings, corset, and chemise. She was working on her petticoat, because that too had been soaked as well as her chemise, meaning she was going to have to remove the corset in order to remove it as well. She mildly wondered who had invented all these layers and if they were still alive so she could kill them herself. There was a reason why she hated fashion, and one of the main reasons were all these damn layers.

She fumbled a bit, her irritation growing as she continued to struggle, with her corset, which was laced in the back. She always had the assistance of at least one of her maids when putting it on each morning, making it so she didn't have to struggle with doing it herself (not that she could apparently). It wasn't tight; Nel would have never allowed it to be tightened to the point where she could not breathe, that would be foolish for a spy like her. However, that didn't make it any easier for her to unlace and it took her a few minutes before she sat down heavily on the bed, ready to give up and wait till Phyllis returned so she could help.

Dear Apris, how did her mother _do_ this day in and day out? How did _any_ woman _deal_ with this all the damn time?!

She was pulled from her inner thoughts when she felt something move on the bed she was perched upon and suddenly remembered her husband's presence within the room. She must have roused him from his sleep when she had sat down, otherwise he would have still been out. She had forgotten how light of a sleeper he was, it had been a long time since she had to recall such a fact about him, especially with his ailment taking a such heavy impact on his being.

"What are you doing, woman, plotting your next idea to torment me?" He muttered as he groggily opened a bleary eye. "If so, you're being rather noisy about it. I though spies were suppose quiet."

"I forgot you were there, Albel." Nel admitted rather cooly. "And I'm not _plotting_ to _torment_ you." Currently. She had just finished her latest scheme and all she had to do was wait for him to notice. "I am simply waiting for someone to come assist me."

"Assist you... with what?" It took Ablel a moment to realize what was different with her, his exhaustion taking its toll on his usual sharp observational skills. "What are you _wearing_?"

"I'm_ wearing_ more than you are at this moment." Nel shot back rather agitatedly. Why did he have to sound so appalled and disgusted? It wasn't like she was trying to seduce him or anything. "They are my undergarments. I am waiting for a fresh dress and help to change into dry chemise."

"And what keeps you from doing so yourself. Have you become _that_ incapable that others must assist you in something as basic as dressing?"

"You try tying or untying a corset by yourself, then talk about about me being inept at taking care of myself." Nel scoffed as she tried again to untie the laced up strings. "Then again, you have proven how well you can take care of yourself with how greatly you've manage to damage your health."

"Yes, but at least I can dress _and_ undress myself." He startled her when she heard his voice right next to her ear before his deft fingers of his one good hand began to aptly loosen her corset without any issue.

"How did you..." Nel whipped her head around and suddenly she and Albel were face to face, so close that their lips had almost touched. He was the one who backed away first, not at all comfortable with their sudden proximity. Not that she didn't suddenly find herself flustered by their nearness.

"Bah," Albel harumphed as he jeered his head away in distain of her unfinished inquiry. "I'm not inept at such simple tasks such as dressing, unlike you. Which is truly shameful, since you're the one who can fully utilize _both_ arms. What's wrong, Zelpher? You can pick a lock without a second's thought, but you can't seem to undo your own _undergarments_ without fumbling about."

Nel did well not to strangle him, no matter how greatly she wished to do so at that moment. "Perhaps I _can't_ handle dressing myself when it comes to wearing things like this, but at least I'm _capable_ of maintaining my good health."

"Says the one still prancing about in wet clothes. I thought you'd be more aware of how foolish that was, but I guess I held you at too high a standard." Albel tsked at her as he hooked his fingers into the ties of the corset and easily yanked it over her head, getting an agitated 'hey' as he did so. "Go change, foolish woman, or I'll find myself an unwanted bedmate and more attention than I already have to suffer, no doubt."

"That's what I was doing, Albel, _before_ you woke up." She told him as she walked to her bureau to pull out another chemise she had folded within. She glanced behind her shoulder so see that Albel was lying back down again and had his head resting so that he could not see her form. Not that she cared, she was his wife and felt little shame in him seeing her naked. It was not the first time she had to undress in the presence of men, having experience as a trained spy, and she doubted, now that she was married, it would be the last.

She was going to continue to ignore him, since he was content in doing so with her, but after changing into her dry chemise, she found herself another issue. That damn corset had to be put back on and she'd prefer not to have to involve Phyllis, the woman was probably going to be irked by the way she had stored her dresses in the downstairs guest room.

She sat back down on the bed, noticing from the corner of her eye the flash of red as Albel's attention turned to her, but did her best to ignore him. Doing her best, she managed to slip the corset over her head, place it comfortably over her chemise before once more struggling to tighten the laces. She thought she was doing pretty well, but the heavy sigh behind her let her know that Albel found her hopeless.

She nearly let out a startled yelp when suddenly his fingers began to tighten her laces. "Not too tight." She managed to tell him instead, getting an irritated grunt from him.

"You're pathetic, Zelpher. What kind of noblewoman can't even lace her own corset?" He was sitting up again, but his voice sounded tired. It was obvious he wanted her to hurry up so he could be left alone to sleep.

"The kind that was too busy with war to care about fashion and all of its nuances." Nel snapped, irritated that he was lecturing her. "And what about you? How do you even know how to do this?"

She let out a short gasp as he purposely tightened her corset more than she ever allowed the maids with a mere tug before quickly knotting her laces to keep it there. "Hmph, every good rider knows how to harness up a dragon saddle. Too bad for you, they are so similar to how a woman ties up her corset." She could hear the malicious mockery in his voice as he spoke his next sentence. "I _sincerely_ hope that's not too tight for you, _dear wife_. If it is, you may want to consider working on sliming your figure down a size or two."

The barb at her weight was not missed, nor appreciated. While she had not a scrap of fat upon her body, she was still sensitive about the topic because she wasn't light by any measure. She had half a mind to insert her elbow into his slowly mending ribcage to show him what she thought of his insult, but she was able to stop herself, gritting her teeth instead and digging the nails of her fingers into her palms with how tightly she clenched them. What she did do, instead, was turn her head to look her husband in the eye, not allowing him to see how truly pissed she was, before giving him an impish smile as she thought of how she was to take her revenge upon him.

"It's not too tight, _dear husband_." She said in a sickly sweet tone. "I was merely surprised is all. _Thank you_ for _helping_ me."

And before he could argue further upon his reasons for doing so, she quickly took placed a hand upon his jaw and kissed him full on the mouth. It wasn't a long kiss, it wasn't meant to be despite the fact that Albel ripped away from her before she could even pull away from the chaste kiss. He had tried to put as much space between them as he could, but, with as quick as he had tried, his wounds flared up causing him to collapse against the mattress, looking at her with bewilderment and mortification. She could see his flushed features redden, even the tips of his ears, more than they had been only moments ago.

She had forgotten how Albel had once acted to any form of touch when they had first... acquired him for their quest. Fayt had barely touched his arm and found himself on the sharp side of Albel's blade. Though he had long since gotten use to being touched against his will, it seemed that he was still quite unfamiliar and uncertain about more intimate contact, like chaste kisses. Not only that, but this was probably the first time she had kissed him outright, instead of on the cheek, temple, or forehead, which she often did mockingly or gently when he was asleep.

Dear Apris she hoped she didn't catch his aliment, but even if she did, it was worth seeing her husband as flustered as he was.

Nel smirked, about to goad him about his reaction, but before she could even utter a word, Phyllis came back into the room with one of Nel's gowns. The redhead abandoned her spot on the bed to approach the woman and take the dress from her.

"There we go." Phyllis spoke in a professional tone. "I organized the maids to take up the rest later as well. Now I hope this one will do. I'm half surprised to find you in dry chemise. You've never shown an aptitude for doing or undoing the laces of your corset. Turn around and I'll check your work before helping you into your dress."

Nel did as she was told, sneaking a mocking smirk towards Albel as Phyllis looked at the laces. Albel, however, wasn't looking, instead was lying where he had collapsed on the bed with his good arm thrown over his head, shielding his eyes from sight. The spy couldn't help pout a bit at how she wouldn't be able to see his sulking that his little ploy was to be undone.

"Dear Apris _and_ his wives, child!" The older woman tsked as she was suddenly tugging at the knots. "I know you've never been good at this, but there was no reason you needed to tie knots into it! Especially since this is way too tight for you. Are you trying to bruise your ribs and pass out from lack of air?"

"Sorry, it seems that I messed up." Nel replied in a sheepish tone. "Next time I'll ask someone else to help."

"Ask someone else indeed. Even Lord Albel would be better at this than you and he only has one hand to tie with." She scolded as she finally undid the knot and loosened the corset to Nel's great relief. "Good thing I had the thought to check up on this. You'd be too damned proud to ask for it to be fixed until you made a spectacle of yourself from passing out. You're too thick to be tying it _that_ tight, you understand, Lady Nel?"

Though it was a harsh blow to her pride, she managed to grit her teeth once more and promise her housekeeper she would not attempt to tie her own laces again. Once that was dealt with and Nel had a new gown on, Phyllis turned her attentions to Albel, he hadn't moved at all since last she looked at him.

"Oh Lord Albel," the older woman sighed as she tsked, placing her hands on her hips. "When will the two of you _stop_ tormenting each other? Tying your lady's laces that tight is not gentlemanly of you at all."

Nel frowned as she lightly blushed. Apparently, she had been scolded, withstood humiliation, and even swallowed her pride for nothing. Phyllis Thrussell had been in her family's service too long to believe such a tale from her, despite her position as a skilled spy and her honed ability to deceive.

"What kind of noblewoman can't tie her own laces?" Albel shot back, his voice sounded rough and tired.

"Yours, my lord." She told him before fluffing up the pillows at the head of the bed a bit. "Now let's get you back into a more restful position, shall we?"

"Bah," Albel growled as he began to push himself up. "I can do it myself. Do not touch me, Aquarian wench."

He really didn't care where he lay upon the bed, but knew that Aquarian women were such busybodies that they wouldn't leave him alone until they were certain he was properly cared for. Both watched him tentatively, ready to jump in at a moment's notice if his only working arm was to suddenly give out and he found himself falling back. He clenched his teeth as he internally relived the humiliation of being treated like an invalid. He wasn't uselessly weak or helpless, despite his given condition, and would rather die than be vulnerable around others, especially that woman he had as a wife. Yet he kept finding himself in situations where she was the only one he could rely upon to care for his wellbeing, and he hated it.

Once he was positioned over the pillows, Albel at last allowed himself to collapse against the soft cushions, letting out a quiet sigh. He closed his eyes for but a moment before glaring at the two still watching him with quiet worry.

Nel released the breath of air she hadn't realized she had been holding as they allowed Albel to reposition himself. At times, especially when he was asleep, he looked as frail and as vulnerable as he truly was, his body fighting off this disease that would have claimed a lesser man already, but when he was awake and aware, he did everything in his power to demonstrate how independent he was. She was worried he was pushing it, but she respected him enough, regardless of how angry he made her at times, to not interfere when he demonstrated his independency.

"Stubborn, the both of you." Phyllis huffed as she shook her head, and gave up trying to mother the young adult couple. "I'll get someone to bring up your meal, my lord. Eat it when you feel like it." She quickly turned to glance at Nel. "And you, my lady, don't forget about those letters and documents. Apris forbid that you fall behind."

"Yes," Nel gave her housekeeper a thankful smile. "I had almost forgotten. I should get on that right away." Phyllis nodded, finally leaving now that her duties had been fulfilled.

Nel turned to retrieve her work and moved to sit at her desk so she could work. If Albel had a problem with her working there, he could shove it for all she cared after that comment about her weight. This was where she did her work, up until he came back, but now she could see that was a mistake. She had given him space but that's not what he needed. He needed a companion, despite what he thought, to watch over him and tend to his health the way he would not if left alone.

She snuck a glance at Albel to see him glaring at her back, as if he knew what she was thinking and didn't like it, though his eyelids were slowly growing heavy.

"And Louise has returned from her trip. She will no doubt be visiting you and your lordship when she has finished making her remedy." Phyllis added from the hall.

Albel groaned as he turned his head to stare at the other side of the room, where Nel was not in sight. "Blasted bossy, intrusive Menodix wench and her nasty concoctions..." She could hear him mutter under his breath. She bit her lip to keep from smiling as she worked.

He muttered a few more things under his breath (a few she had the feeling were about her) before slipping backing into a light sleep, the familiar sounds of someone writing and turning of paper lulling him as he did so.

* * *

A/N: And the third chapter is finally out! Sorry that took so long. I know there are not a lot of Alnel shippers now days, but to the ones that bothered to review, thank you for your comments. For those lurkers out there that just read, I am the same way, so thank you for taking the time to read it. I would love to hear from you sometime though.

I have been running about doing a lot of things this summer, so I wasn't able to finish this as timely as I had wanted. That, and I got stuck after Albel insulted Nel about her weight... Yeah I didn't know what to do for the longest time! Well, anyways, this chapter in itself is over 10,000 words, so I hope that makes up for the wait.

Another thing. Yes, I made mention about Nel being heavy. I know she's not fat (so does Albel), but the fact is that she is a warrior and extremely powerful at that. I mean, have you _seen_ how high she can jump in the games? Yeah. That takes muscle. And muscle density is what weighs her down.

Now, a quick shout out to my reviewers:

_**Karramon**_: Thank you for your review, I don't usually write something outright to the reviewer, but since its not like I have a long super list of reviewers to thank, I'll just give you a quick shout out (especially since you reviewed anonymously). I hope this chapter was worth waiting for. I really appreciated your feedback and will look foreword to hopefully seeing more reviews from you in the future!

See you in the next chapter.

_~Lore_

Rose Co**lore**d Philosophies


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